Something new

           It’s that time of year where we think about next year. Yes, I know Christmas is here but next year is here too. I always look at Christmas and New Years in the same light. There are new gifts and a new year. Each year I contemplate what the next year should look like. I don’t plan it because life does not work that way, but I like to think of a theme. One year it’s a roller coaster and another is reflection. This year I am leaning towards something new. What I mean is the theme Something new.

            I am totally and utterly disturbed at how society views itself. The American constitution says We the people. Today it is “I” the person. The individual matters more than the community. Basically, if the community loves me for who I am then I am in, otherwise I’m out. I grew up where individuals lived beside each other. We were different but the same. It’s the same that is missing in society today.

            No matter who you are, your still part of the community. To be only black, white, gay, female, or transgender misses the point of living. Those things are part of your life and describe a small portion of who you are. There is however a lot more to you. You’re a mother, brother, worker, and painter. There are many things that make you special. I know a man who loves derby hats. In a way, it is him. I identify him by the hat just as much as he does. Yet, he is also a hockey player, a defense man, and Canadian.

            This new year of 2017 is a chance to grow you. I have planned on reinventing me this year. Actually, I have been in that process last year too. I lost weight and this year of 2017 I am going to buy new clothes. I need to try something unnerving. I read this quote by Emily Dickenson “if your nerve denies you, go above your nerve.” Yep, that’s the ticket. Once you wrap your box in gay, gender, race, or anything else paper your stuck in your box. The freedom of going beyond your nerve or box is lost.

What does God have to say about inventing you. Luke 9:62 says “Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." I’ll add one more Matthew 6:30 “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”

            These verses tell a tale of God’s vision for people. We are beyond clothes. We are beyond social tags. We are beyond the past. God built us to move forward, look forward, and continue to grow beyond our nerve. These days we are being stymied by social tags. We are being taking down by wrongs in the past. This generation will be remembered for the reboot, rerun, and nothing more. History will not be kind to this generation. Were lost within ourselves with no tangible contribution to society. There will be no discoveries, great movies, and amazing inventions. No hero’s, no victories beyond social change. Social change comes and goes. We love one thing one day and something else another. James 1:6 says “But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” Only a fool would consider social change as a staple. People always have and always will change their mind.

            Within the changing world around me, who am I? Is this all there is in the mirror. 15 years ago, I started wearing a beard. It is me but years ago, it wasn’t me. I wear scarves now. I read like I used to. I like Keith Urban today but a year ago, I did not know who he was. I am on fire to discover more about the world and me inside it. This will be my year 2017, of going farther than I ever have before. It will hopefully be an out of the box experience.

            Ok, so tag your it! I challenge you to look beyond your skin color. Look beyond your sexual preference. How is it in the mirror. You love chocolate or roller coasters. What do you like that you have not discovered. There is a ton about you that is covered. It’s time in 2017 to unearth you. This year try something new. Buy something new to wear. Read something new. It’s my hope that as 2018 approaches you will discover that you have changed. You have grown. You’re the same yet different.

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